Jubilee - live: Platinum Party at the Palace begins with surprise sketch of the Queen and Paddington
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two eldest children arrive at Cardiff Castle
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Your support makes all the difference.The Platinum Party of the Palace has begun with a surprise pre-recorded sketch featuring the Queen and Paddington bear.
Kicking off the performances is Queen + Adam Lambert with a rousing renditon of “We Will Rock You” - with the Queen joining in via teacup.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will miss the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace concert on Saturday evening, as they celebrate their daughter Lilibet’s first birthday “privately” in Windsor.
Other royal family members are attendance of the star-studded performance include the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn, the Princess Royal, and others will also be there.
Amongst this weekend’s celebrations, the Queen did not attend the Epsom Derby today after also missing the platinum jubilee thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that her Majesty watched the major sporting event on television at Windsor Castle, after experiencing “discomfort” following a busy first day of festivities on Thursday.
Queen receives standing ovation at Platinum Jubilee show as the nation salutes her 70 years of service
What’s on the schedule for the platinum jubilee today?
Queen Elizabeth II: What does it mean to be both a human and a national symbol?
What time does the Platinum Jubilee concert start and how can I watch it? 
The longer the Queen lives, the higher the stakes rise on one key question
Charles laments ‘nightmare situation’ during visit to Ukraine refugee centre
The Prince of Wales has spoken out about the “nightmare situation” in Ukraine during a trip to Romania to meet refugees who have fled the war in their homeland.
Charles was joined by distant relative Margareta, head of the Romanian royal family, for the unannounced tour of a donation centre for refugees in the capital Bucharest.
Find out more about his visit below:
Charles laments ‘nightmare situation’ during visit to Ukraine refugee centre
The Prince of Wales was visiting a centre in Romania
Boris Johnson to pay tribute to ‘remarkable’ Queen in Parliament address
Boris Johnson will pay tribute to the “remarkable” Queen in an address to Parliament ahead of her platinum jubilee.
The prime minister will say that the Queen’s length of service and dedication to duty are “without parallel” and will make his tribute while proposing a Humble Address in Parliament.
He will say: “Today we pay tribute to a head of state whose length of service and dedication to duty to are simply without parallel.
“The only monarch most of us in this country have ever known and the rock to which our nation and our people have been anchored throughout all that the past 70 years have thrown at us.”
He will add that the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth will be “unabashed” in celebrating her.
“That is why next week the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth will be unabashed in celebrating not the institution of the Crown but the individual who wears it,” he will tell parliament.
“This remarkable woman who by God and her right has led her country through good times and bad.
“Who has dedicated her life to her people, to her beloved Commonwealth, to the very idea of what a constitutional monarchy can and should be.”
PA
It’s time for royal tours to end
In light of the troubles that recent royal tours have run into, Emma Mackenzie questions whether they should continue:
It’s time for royal tours to end
Following the backlash against the Earl and Countess of Wessex’s recent Caribbean tour, Emma Mackenzie asks whether the expensive trips should cease
Kate Middleton reunites with Holocaust survivor
The Duchess of Cambridge has said she will “never forget” the story of a Holocaust survivor she met at a Buckingham Palace garden party.
Manfred Goldberg, 92, was one of the first guests Kate greeted on Wednesday as rain descended on the third garden party to take place at the palace this year.
She first met Goldberg in 2017 on a visit to Stutthof, the concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland where he spent eight months, and spoke to him by videolink last year.
“As she came along, she said, ‘Oh hello Manfred, how lovely to see you’,” said Goldberg, who works for the Holocaust Education Trust.
“She also thanked me for all the hard work I have been doing over the years, speaking to thousands of school children, mainly of A-level grades, who are old enough to really understand.
“Then I complimented her on remembering our previous conversations years back. She said, ‘I will never forget’.
“So I think it made an impact. Yes, absolutely.”
Goldberg, who was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Kassell, Germany, was sent to a Nazi labour camp in Latvia at the age of 11.
In 1944, he was moved to Stutthof - where tens of thousands of Jews were murdered - and was set free days after his 15th birthday the following year.
He met the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the camp 72 years later, having a conversation that Kate later said “remained absolutely clear in my mind”.
Goldberg said: “They had never set foot in a concentration camp and they actually had the - I wouldn’t say foresight - but the clarity that they needed to speak to people who actually experienced it as it was then.
“There is a walk-through museum now... to an outsider it would still be cruel, but it has all been sanitised.
“The questions they asked us clarified to them how much worse it actually was.”
PA
Aldi has turned the Queen into a carrot for the platinum jubilee
Kevin the carrot, Aldi’s famous mascot, has featured in many a Christmas advert, with its giant toys becoming quite the sellout. And now, to mark the platinum jubilee, he’s back as a lookalike for Her Majesty.
Yes, you read that right, Kevin is now the Queen (not literally, of course) and is even donning a pretty purple dress, pearls and a crown. There are also a variety of other patriotic characters to get your hands on, including a Prince Charles lookalike and corgis!
IndyBest reporter Lauren Cunningham has all the details on how you can get your hands on these royal plushies:
Aldi has turned the Queen into a carrot for the royal jubilee
Countless brands are pulling out all the stops with merchandise, decorations and food for the queen’s jubilee, but Aldi has turned Her Majesty into a carrot toy
Royal corgi revealed as platinum jubilee emoji
The royal family’s Platinum Jubilee emoji has been unveiled – a crown-wearing corgi called PJ.
The cartoon image of the cheerful dog – the Queen’s favourite breed – appeared on the monarchy’s official Twitter account, with the message: “Meet PJ the corgi, our Jubilee emoji!”
Find out more about PJ below:
Royal corgi revealed as platinum jubilee emoji
The emoji will accompany Jubilee hashtags in celebration of the national commemorations of the monarch’s 70-year reign
Everything the Queen eats in a day, according to royal chefs
The Queen’s former chef, Darren McGrady, has drawn back the curtain and revealed Her Majesty’s private dining habits, having previously spoken about her preferred drinks.
In his book “Eating Royally: Recipes and Remembrances from a Palace Kitchen”, McGrady revealed the Queen’s dining preferences, her favourite meals and the things she is not a fan of on the dinner table.
Find out what Her Majesty’s preferences are below:
Everything the Queen eats in a day, according to royal chefs
Her Majesty reportedly has four meals a day - but only eats small portions at each.
When are the Jubilee bank holidays? The full list for 2022
Mark your calendars if you haven’t already:
12 fascinating things we learned from royal experts ahead of the platinum jubilee
Royal expert Sean O’Grady was joined by former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond during an event for The Independent last week, where the pair spoke about the highs and lows of the royal family.
Deputy Lifestyle Editor Laura Hampson, who hosted the event, reveals all the things we learned from our panellists:
The monarchy could have ‘disappeared’ if Charles was already King
With the platinum jubilee on the horizon, Laura Hampson speaks to royal experts about the Queen’s legacy and the resilience of the firm
Why does the Queen love corgis so much?
For over eight decades, from 1933 to 2018, Queen Elizabeth II has owned at least one corgi – a dog breed that has become as synonymous with Her Majesty as Buckingham Palace.
But where did it all begin? Rachel Burchfield delves deep:
The Queen and her corgis: Why the monarch is so fond of the breed
Her Majesty currently owns three dogs – two corgis and one dorgi
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